In brief
MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum has warned that the United Kingdom faces a dramatic rise in state‑backed hybrid threats, especially from Russia and Iran, compounded by the rapid development of AI. He said Russia’s hybrid warfare, including cyber and misinformation attacks, has grown fourfold in the past decade. Iran is also mounting new aggressive operations, targeting Jewish communities and military sites. The chief highlighted AI’s dual‑use nature, pointing to the risk of extremists using the technology to craft propaganda and bioweapon designs. MI5 has set up a dedicated AI Threat Assessment Centre to monitor and counter these emerging dangers.
Sir Ken McCallum, the head of the UK intelligence agency MI5, warned this month that state‑backed hybrid threats have quadrupled over the last decade, putting the nation at increased risk.
He identified Russia as the main aggressor, describing its hybrid warfare—cyber‑attacks, sabotage, misinformation, and proxy operations—as a “dynamic threat” that has grown to a scale unseen since the Cold War.
Iran is also expanding its hybrid campaign, especially against Jewish communities and military sites, with 50 arrests in the last year linked to Iranian‑sponsored activity.
MI5’s new AI Threat Assessment Centre will monitor the rapid development of artificial intelligence, which McCallum says “has the potential to change the stakes” by enabling extremists to produce tailored propaganda and keep their bioweapon designs secret.
He also warned of rising right‑wing terrorism, noting that the most recent trends link anti‑immigration and anti‑Muslim rhetoric to genuine terrorist intent, including a recent investigation of a radicalised 13‑year‑old.
“The biggest threat from the misuse of AI is extremist groups using the technology to harness new and existing bioweapons,” McCallum said, urging close collaboration with the UK’s AI Security Institute and NATO allies.
MI5 has recently expelled almost a thousand Russian operatives, weakening the Kremlin’s covert footprint and forcing Moscow to pay “criminals” to carry out attacks, McCallum said.
He cited the recent incident at RAF Fairford, where suspicious vans were spotted and seven people arrested, as an example of the Iranian threat’s reach beyond the United States.
MI5 will employ the National Security Act of 2023 to target foreign‑powered actors, including those from China, Iran, and Russia, and will continue to cooperate with MI6 and GCHQ to counter hybrid warfare.
In a testimony to Parliament, McCallum said the rise in state threats and AI-enabled terror represents a “huge shift” in the national security landscape, demanding more resources and coordination across agencies.
